1914 Albert Marque masterpiece doll sells for $168,000

Top lot of the sale, a French circa-1914 bisque doll created by sculptor Albert Marque, 22 inches, signed and incised with the number '12,' $168,000.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sculpted by the renowned French artist Albert Marque (1872-1939), an extremely rare 1914 portrait doll originally commissioned for the Paris boutique Margaine-Lacroix sold to rousing applause for $168,000 (inclusive of 12 percent buyer’s premium) at Frasher’s July 9 auction. The buyer, who beat out four phone bidders and additional on-site bidders at the KCI-Expo Center in Kansas City, was new to Frasher’s client roster.

“The winning bidder is a collector of French dolls and German character dolls, and they obviously go for the very best,” said Barbara Frasher, president of Frasher’s Doll Auctions.

As noted by doll historians, during World War I, Albert Marque was persuaded by Parisian couturier Jeanne Margaine-LaCroix to sculpt 100 fashion dolls, each signed, numbered and clothed in a custom-designed costume representing royalty or a particular region of France. The exquisite 22-inch dolls were celebrated by the French not only as important artworks but also as cultural icons that stood up proudly to the influx of wartime dolls from Germany.

The “A. Marque” doll in Frasher’s sale was numbered “12,” making it a very early and desirable example. “I have only seen two other A. Marque dolls at auction with an earlier number,” said Frasher. “While it has been said that 100 of these dolls were commissioned, that number is speculative. The highest number I have ever seen on this type of doll was around ‘60.’”

Frasher said the quality of sculpting on the doll is “exquisite…You can tell that it was the work of an accomplished sculptor, not only from the quality of the doll’s head, but also the hands. The bisque head and limbs were added to a uniquely flared torso designed by French artist Aristodema Botta. The entire presentation is very unusual.” The doll was a popular attraction at the auction preview, Frasher said, because many collectors had never before had the opportunity to examine a rare A. Marque doll in person.

In 1993, Frasher’s made headlines with another French doll. The rare, 23½-inch exhibition model depicting an elegant Creole lady was produced by Jumeau expressly for the 1884 World Exposition in New Orleans. At Frasher’s, it sold for $231,000, and in so doing, set a world auction record for a French doll – a distinction that remained unchallenged for 17 years.

The A. Marque doll sold on July 9 came from one of three private collections featured in Frasher’s 277-lot sale. After the event, which grossed $418,670, dolls were shipped to points throughout the United States as well as to Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Barbara Frasher noted that approximately 20 percent to 25 percent of the sale was sold over the phones, with significant underbidding from the Internet. The top lot purchased online through LiveAuctioneers.com was a circa-1880 French bisque, wood-bodied fashion doll attributed to Louis Doleac, which realized $10,305.

Another highlight was the especially nice 24-inch bisque Bebe Triste by Emile Jumeau, with very finely painted facial features and blue paperweight eyes that rendered a melancholy expression. The doll settled at the midpoint of its estimate, selling for $15,680.

Another fine Jumeau, a circa-1878 Premiere Bebe, was noted as being the earliest of its particular type. Described in the auction catalog as having “superb complexion, modeling and expression, and exceptional eyes,” the 15-inch bisque beauty featured an excellent original body, wore a fine fitted silk couture costume and bore a “Jumeau Medaille d’or Paris” stamp. It sold within estimate for $7,280.

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